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Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

I was just about to post something along the same lines as what teknetic just mentioned. The Phillies are a scary playoff team. Oswalt is sporting a 1.94 ERA thus far and it definitely looks like Hamels is back (2.93). Oh yeah, and that Halladay guy isn't too bad. If they make the WS, I bet those are the only 3 starting pitchers used. And even though the offense has been MIA for stretches this season, they're 3rd in the NL in runs scored, just trailing Colorado. Definitely a better team than last year.

The Braves are fading pretty quickly. I have a feeling they won't even make the playoffs, especially b/c they're facing the Phillies now and in their last series of the season. (I imagine an NL West team wins the WC.)

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Originally Posted by jcarey

I was just about to post something along the same lines as what teknetic just mentioned. The Phillies are a scary playoff team. Oswalt is sporting a 1.94 ERA thus far and it definitely looks like Hamels is back (2.93). Oh yeah, and that Halladay guy isn't too bad. If they make the WS, I bet those are the only 3 starting pitchers used. And even though the offense has been MIA for stretches this season, they're 3rd in the NL in runs scored, just trailing Colorado. Definitely a better team than last year.

The Braves are fading pretty quickly. I have a feeling they won't even make the playoffs, especially b/c they're facing the Phillies now and in their last series of the season. (I imagine an NL West team wins the WC.)

Individually, most Phillies hit a slump or two, but the biggest factor in the team's offensive struggles this year was injuries.

At bats this year:
Jeter 617
Cano 579
Utley 387
Rollins 331

The Phillies have run out their "real" starting lineup just 15 games this season. But with the exception of Rollins, everyone is back and looking healthy. If they hold on for the win tonight, they'll have won 20 of their last 25 games.

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Some records it listed are actually breakable IMO, like the 17 seasons 150 hits or 84 straight saves. And the list got the fact wrong. The modern baseball single-season lowerst ERA owner is Dutch Leonard - 0.961 in 1914. Nap Lajoie also hit .426 in 1901.

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Originally Posted by NYYDragoon

Ichiro may be able to break Hank's record too.

I'm actually surprised Hank's "record" made the list.

1. I never realized 150 hits was a "milestone".

2. Looking at Pete Rose's stats, he clearly would've had 18 in a row had it not been for the 1981 strike.

3. Derek Jeter's streak is currently sitting at 15 seasons. Just 2 more to tie. He is awfully close and if he signs a decent extension with the Yanks, I think he would have to be considered a lock to at the very least tie the record.

4. I agree we can't rule out Ichiro from the conversation, but breaking the record it is still asking for a lot. He would be turning 44 at the end of the year of the 18th season.

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

A little more than a week after promoting Don Mattingly to be their next manager, the Los Angeles Dodgers have traded his son.
Los Angeles sent Preston Mattingly to the Cleveland Indians for Roman Pena in a swap of minor league outfielders Sunday.
Preston Mattingly, the Dodgers' No. 1 draft pick in 2006, batted .218 with two homers and 17 RBIs at the Class-A level this season. He struck out 51 times in 165 at-bats.

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Just did a quick look through the history of the AL Wild Card.

12 (out of 16) times, the WC has come from the AL East (Boston 7, New York 4, Baltimore 1).

Only 2 of 15 have gone on to win the World Series, 3 of 15 have made it to the WS, 7 of 15 didn't get past the ALDS.

Of the 16 winners, all but 2 (1996 Orioles and 1999 Red Sox) had more wins than at least 1 of the 2 other divisions. (Note: the 2005 Red Sox and 2007 Yankees shared the same amount of wins as the West winners those years).

And 5 of the 16 had the 2nd best record in the AL in their year (1997 Yankees, 1998 Red Sox, 2001 Athletics, 2004 Red Sox, 2010 Yankees).

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Ronny Cedeño of the Pittsburgh Pirates played the first three innings Sunday, and even hit a home run, while wearing a jersey with the team's name spelled in Spanish across the front.
Cedeño wore the "Piratas" top when he cracked his eighth home run of the season in the top of the second inning against the Florida Marlins. Not until the top of the fourth was Cedeño made to change his jersey top to become — uh — uniform with the rest of his teammates.
It's against the rules otherwise.
By the look on his face as he was changing in the dugout — he was steamed — Cedeño was either victimized by a prank, or the clubhouse attendant who set out the uniforms made a mistake.

After six days of not playing and not talking to the media, Brian Roberts met with reporters in Buck Showalter’s office following Sunday’s game and said he has been having concussion-type symptoms which occurred after he hit himself in the helmet with a bat.

“I don’t know 100 percent sure, but it was Monday night. In frustration (after a strikeout), I whacked myself on the head with my bat in the ninth. I had my helmet on,” Roberts said. “It’s something I’ve done a million times, but I still can’t tell you for sure if that was it. But that’s the only thing that I can point to because that night and the next morning, I just didn’t feel good. So it’s been going on since then.”

Roberts expects to have a CT scan on Monday, which he hopes will shed light on exactly what is causing his lightheadedness and head pain.

I'm no expert, but hitting yourself in the head with a baseball bat has to rank pretty high up on the stupidity chart.

I'm no expert, but hitting yourself in the head with a baseball bat has to rank pretty high up on the stupidity chart.

If he's done this before, it's a wonder he hasn't "felt good" before now. Apparently, he isn't up on the latest news on concussions. Guys are trying to avoid blows to the head and he's doing it delibrately. Wow.

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

Originally Posted by 35Knucklecurve

If he's done this before, it's a wonder he hasn't "felt good" before now. Apparently, he isn't up on the latest news on concussions. Guys are trying to avoid blows to the head and he's doing it delibrately. Wow.

I know what you mean - I'm thinking it was just a tap and it went a little harder then he intended...not very smart. I'm glad he went public though because he did try to tell kids - don't do this. yikes.

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

"If a team like the Pirates receives $20 million, I think they should be forced to add 75 percent of it ($15 million in this example) to their big league payroll, not put it in their pockets or spend it on their minor league systems.

If they can’t do that — or won’t do it — they should be forced to give the money back.

One thing you can’t do is blame the Yankees. That is a franchise that simply wants to win every year, and they are willing to spend money to do it"

Re: Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

"The problem is that the poor teams often do not spend their luxury tax and revenue sharing money on big league payroll, instead pumping it into minor league development or putting it into their own pockets.

Ultimately it comes down to the lower payroll teams doing things the right way. Build up their talent through the minor leagues. And when a team receives luxury tax and revenue sharing money, they should be required to spend that money on major league payroll."

Isn't "pumping (money) into minor league development" equal to "build(ing) up their talent through the minor leagues"?